Back!

So, we are back in the states, minus one teamate who wouldn't get on the plane. Just kidding, Everett's doing 3 months more in India as part of an internship. He was adjusting fabulously and already buying Indian guy clothes and throwing Hindi phrases around. He also took a ton of the trip's photos. Thanks Ev!

Bree and I got back Monday morning to VA after some 40+ hours of travel. Part of our time in transit included a nice chunk of time in Delhi so we hobnobbed around-shopping, exploring, eating, and wrapping it all up with Henna. Mine's faded a lot by now but I still like it. The trip back was pretty uneventful (always a good thing) and we arrived sleepy, dirty, and happy to surrender our heavy packs to Josh, Jon, and Bree's parents who were waiting for us.

(I love airports.)

I've decided to make a list of events and impressions that were memorable for both our team and personally.

1. Teaching: between the 3 of us, we taught many English, Spanish, and Cross-Cultural Communications classes. Bree and Everett did great leading their classes and it was a privilege to be part of such a confident, capable team. We couldn't have asked for better students either. Everyone was very engaged and eager to learn.

2. Staying with the RTB students. In the first city, the 3 of us stayed at a local ministry training program. We roomed with the students, ate meals with them and spent time with them (both in class and informally).  A personal favorite memory during the time we stayed there was 2 painting sessions we had. The first one I initiated and the next day, I walked out of my room to see just about everyone gathered around the table and painting furiously. It was really fun, particularly as most of the students had never painted before. I was seriously impressed with what they produced.

3. Cooking. The team and I took over cooking duty one night and as requested, we made American food (with some Latin influence and Indian dessert). They often have "culture night" and try different foods. This was the first american night.  The menu: homeade macaroni and cheese, mango salsa, steamed green beans with butter/salt/pepper, and American chocolate bars + Indian pastries  for dessert. In retrospect, those things sound a little odd together. As we were making the dinner we hit several points of "Susie…are you sure it's supposed to be like that?" to which I happily replied "it's cultural! of course it goes like that!" Moses and Ekta, 2 of the students helped us shop, chop, and prepare. It was fun and everything turned out great. I'd never made mango salsa before but they were in their prime and so inexpensive. It was a fun way to use a common regional ingredient in a very new/weird way. Some people were (understandably) suspicious of how mango would jive with onion and tomato but it ended up being the biggest hit!

4. Storytelling at a youth church. All 3 of us got to share during their very cool,living-room, youth service. After we told Bible stories to the group, we split up in smaller bunches to talk about the stories. Alot of the kids come from non-christian families, so attending the church is their own decision and up to them to decide to keep going. It is cool to see how much they like being there and some are even telling their families about Christianity. The folks who lead the group are doing a phenemenal job at building a community that reaches out to kids and befriends them unconditionally.

It was a great trip and we couldn't have done it without our friend's  and family's participation. If you're reading this blog, that probably means you! So, thank you!

Friday

Good morning.

 

We're in the second city now, and right now I'm typing this from the anguage schoo.

Sorry in advance for so many typos--the etter before "m" doesn't work...

 

We are doing great---teaching engish and spanish and getting to know the team here.

 

we have tried both Dominos and an Indian chain of pizza. Both were interesting.

 

It has been great to meet more of the team. they are very kind and committed to what they're doing.

 

Thanks for reading and staying connected whie we're in India!

 

-Susie

 

Hello everyone :) by Bryana

I'm sitting here in a cyber cafe with Susie, Everett and lot's of dehradun'ers... We're sitting very close, and using a VERY greasy keyboard.
ANYWAYS, we just got finished teaching two English classes at the Heritage school. The classes went extremely well! The first class was tons of fun, we had "conversation time" we talked about EVERYTHING from terrorist taxi drivers to cute bollywood actors. Then we gave them there first assignment to create a news cast in English! They chose the topics it's raining noodles, indian celebrities, miracle pill that cures all, meteor hits earth & I think monkey attacks was the last one. There's alot of monkey's in India. The second class was very elementary and they wrote a story of something that has happened to them in English to practice using past tense. Yesterday we went to a small church and met some amazing people, Everett led worship and Susie, Everett and I all told a story of Jesus. Most of the children who go there are christian but a few are Buddhist it was really awesome to see that's the Buddhist children wanted to spend there Sunday mornings learning and worshiping Jesus. After church we went to Moosurie, a town in the Himalaya's and hiked the mountain. it was BREATHTAKING! the scenery was unlike anything i have ever seen before! absolutely gorgeous. god is cool. We'll be teaching one more class this evening and hanging out with the students for the rest of the night. It's diner time now so I'll blog a bit more later...
Much love <3 Bree

Morning of 26/07/10 by Everett

I went to sleep last night around one because I was working so hard on trying to get the photos up onto Facebook. The internet has been very fickle on when it will work or not. I am borrowing a neighbor’s internet, so it is nothing that I can really control. I got up at seven to get ready for the day. I did my own personal devotions and then when Mohit woke up, he told me that last night he woke up to me sitting on the side of my bed looking at him and then I said something like, “I have to work on the website and the Hindi.” And then I said something else about being wide-awake or something. I don’t remember this at all, but apparently I did it. Maybe it was because I was listening to music on my headphones or maybe I was just too tired to let my body sleep. Either way, it was humorous to hear about it.

At eight, I headed down to meet with Susie and Bryana and then we walked over to the school to teach English. Vanessa was there already having started the lessons and then she had us jump into it. Each of us had a group of either two or three people that we talked. It was very fun to be able to talk to these people since they all came from very different backgrounds, beliefs and educations. Because this was the Intermediate class, most of the students were very well spoken and were able to express themselves well. Some students were newer to the class and didn’t have the fluency or pronunciation that others had, so I found myself smiling and nodding a lot to pretend that I knew what they were saying after asking them a few times to repeat themselves.

I know this class is going to be a great, fun challenge to have in my life. I was talking to Susie this morning about how I would much rather be swamped with work than have nothing to do. The inspiration for my life has really been in creating things that are useful and that people are impressed with. Teaching the class will allow me to bring something to these students that they can use is so many ways, and that makes me very proud to be a part of this. One of the students was a housewife that said excitedly to me that she was learning English in order to get a job. Since a housewife’s life here is really very limited to the home, I think it is great that English will allow her to expand her experiences and her life to something that will bring her happiness.

After the class, Bryana and I sat down over coffee with Vanessa to go over some other lesson plans as Susie went to talk about her cross-cultural communications class. I ended up drinking Bryana’s coffee since she wasn’t feeling so good at the time. Man, I am all about black, unsweetened coffee.

Anyways, we were able to talk about the classes that we’re going to do. This afternoon, I am going to run the class for the beginner students at the school. They have been studying English for only a few months and will most definitely have difficulty with my accent. I’m going to try and soak up Indian English as much as possible so I can teach the class in a more understandable way while I’m here. I’m not doing that to water down the English; just to talk in a way that is used commonly here so that the English they are hearing from me will be understandable and not completely foreign to them.

Then Bry, Vanessa and I came back to the house in order to work with Susie on the lessons for cross-cultural communications. Bry still isn’t feeling good and I hope she is sleeping now. Sleep is one of the best medicines, laughter being THE best. Susie and I then covered some ideas for the class tomorrow on what we are going to make. We decided to make Mac and Cheese, sautéed veggies and either chilled chocolate dipped fruit or a fondue pot (that depends on whether or not we can find a hotplate to use).

Then, we stepped into the classroom with seven students that are here and for about and hour we talked about ways that cultures affect us, ways that we can better work with people from other cultures, and what it means to contextualize a message for another culture. Since I’ve been inundated with information on cross-cultural communications for the last nine months, it is a pleasure to be able to express the excitement and knowledge that we have about it to others. While some of the students don’t speak very good English, I think they are still soaking up a lot of the information.

I can’t imagine how difficult it is to be learning about cross-cultural communications through a second language with people from four different cultures. I say four different cultures because the seven students are from three different Indian cultures with their own language, ideas and concepts. Throw in the American culture that we bring, and it can quickly become overwhelming. However, I think it is better give them information that will stretch them then to water it down.

Well, it’s back to class I go! We’re going to do another half-hour or so of teaching and then head off to lunch. I’m trying to think of something quippy and funny, but nothing’s coming to mind. Oh well. At least I still have my good looks.

Everett

End of Day 1 by Susie

Sitting at the kitchen table at the school’s house. Bry and I are rooming with 2 of the girls and both of us are looking forward to sleeping in a bed. (First time since Wednesday night!)

We arrived so early this morning after our long taxi drive and even though we had time to sleep, we ended up showering, having breakfast with the students and then hanging out with one of our roomies in town.

As  I mentioned earlier today, there was a youth group even this afternoon. It felt a little like backyard bible club though I’m not sure why as there weren’t any backyards or tacky crafts. Instead we sang, talked about obedience, ate some snacks, and played one of those games where the whole group stands in a circle. It was a good time. It started pouring towards the end, so we just camped out with the kids, all of whom were girls, and waited for it to stop.

Afterwards, we went over to the language institute to get a tour and briefing for our English classes that start on Monday. We’ll be teaching 2 classes per day Mon-Wed to intermediate and beginner students. The staff already has a curriculum in place for us to use but there are just enough elements in each class for our sparkly creativity to shine. Yes, we have sparkly creativity.

Tomorrow, we are going to a youth church service where Bree, Everett, and I have been asked to each share a gospel story and then lead a small group discussion. Everett will also be helping to lead the singing and is sitting at the kitchen table as well picking out worship songs.

Well, I need to take a shower and go to bed, pretty desperately actually. I’m writing this as a word doc since internet is not available in this part of the house. Assuming Everett posts this later, enjoy your weekend and write to us lots!

More tomorrow...

p.s. Curry makes your fingernails a little yellow when you it with your hands.

Susie

day 1 by Susie

Hey fans,

we're in India!

after many flights and 6+ hour taxi ride from Delhi, we're in our first town and already having a great time.

We're staying with the ministry students and they are super cool and friendly and we're already laughing and making fun of each other. It's also been decided that we should make pizza for dinner while we're here. (if anyone has any magic pizza recipes, PLEASE post them in the comment box...I'm no italian pizza artist and I'd hate to poorly represent an American icon!)

Plan for today: get an Indian cell phone, check out the market, and get Everett up in time to go to a weekly youth group meeting with some of the team. (poor guy hardly slept at all during the 30+hours of travel...He's a little tired.)

Then, we'll most liekyl be hanging out with the students/eating dinner and gearing up for church tomorrow and teaching Monday!

The students are leading church tomorrow I've learned. Cool.

Um...what else. Bree and I ate lunch with our hands today, we rode in a motorized rickshaw, and we love the tea that flows in abundance.

Pray for us as we settle in, adjust to the time zone and jump into what the team is doing. I'm looking forward to the days we'll have here and already anticipate great friendships and meaningful ministry together.

Thanks for reading and supporting us!

-Susie

One more flight by Susie

Just boarded in Frankfurt. Waiting to take off. Our last leg! Bree and I (Susie) dig the flight attendants' uniforms--saris.
I could use a coffee, and a nap, or both.
from Bry: "my butt hurts. And the pillows on the airplane are cute! I'd put them in my house. My sweater smells ok."
Next time we post, we'll be in India!

Susie

good morning

In Frankfurt, Germany. Its early.

DC by Susie

We're in DC. 3 hours layover. Everett just helped an old German woman with her computer. Bryana's jeans have cool designs on them.
We're going to watch a movie on Everett's laptop.

We're going to India!

Hey friends, fans and awesome people out there!

Here's our first blog entry for the India trip and let me tell you, we are very excited to be going to India this summer. We have a lot to do before we head off to India in a little less than seven weeks, including getting plane tickets, visas and packing! We would love your prayer and support before and during the trip.

At this point, we would love prayer for growth of the team. We know there are people out there that are as excited as we are about going to India and would love to be connected with them. We would also greatly appreciate prayer for cheap plane tickets as the time draws closer.

If you are interested in supporting the team, here are some links to help us out!

Susannah Boyed: ReachTheNations.org/SusannahBoyed

Everett Hill: ReachTheNations.org/EverettHill

We will be posting different entries in this blog as time goes on. Please follow us and repost/retweet this so we can get the word out about this exciting trip!

The Team

P.S. If you "Like" this blog with the button below, you get a million dollars. Well not really, but we'd love you to!